Soon after Greg McGarity became Georgia’s athletic director in 2010, then-Bulldogs football coach Mark Richt approached his new boss with a request: Put Carla Williams in charge of football.

Few female associate ADs are tasked with overseeing football, but Richt saw her as the department’s most-qualified staffer.

“I just had a lot of faith and confidence in her abilities,” said Richt, now in his second season as Miami’s head coach. “I guess the best way I can say it is, ‘She gets it.’ She understands what needs to get done, how it needs to get done, and she communicates well.

“I just thought she was outstanding in what she did, and I’m glad she’s getting the opportunity to head up Virginia’s athletic department.”

Richt was mentioned frequently when U.Va. introduced Williams as its athletic director Monday.

Cavaliers football coach Bronco Mendenhall said Williams had encouraged him to call Richt for a scouting report on her and that Richt had raved. Williams called Richt’s request to give her football oversight a career “game-changer.”

Perhaps most telling: Virginia rowing coach Kevin Sauer, a member of the AD search committee, said the panel was impressed by how Williams handled her role in Georgia’s firing of Richt after the 2015 regular season.

Richt steered Georgia to 14 winning records in 15 years. The Bulldogs won at least 10 games in nine of those seasons and finished among the Associated Press top 10 seven times.

But relentless success attained with grace and integrity wasn’t enough. Georgia wanted championships, conference and national, and two of the former and none of the latter weren’t enough.

The separation was as civil as possible.

Clearly, the decision wasn’t Williams’ — McGarity made it in concert with university president Jere Morehead. But the process included some uncomfortable conversations between Williams and Richt, but their friendship, rooted in respect, admiration and shared faith in God, endured.

That’s why Richt was a reference for Williams’ candidacy at Virginia, and that’s why he took my call Tuesday.

“Everybody sees life through a different lens,” he said. “Everybody sees life based on their belief system. She’s a strong believer in Jesus Christ, and she believes in God’s work. She has a strong sense of right and wrong. … She is the kind of person that, if something’s going on that shouldn’t be going on, she’s not going to be able to sleep at night. … That’s probably one of the strongest characteristics that she has, is her faith. … I think it’s a healthy stance on life.”

Williams: “I grew up in the church. My children grew up in church. (Faith is) a calming presence. It gives me inspiration and hope. I think it’s a part of my core. I care about people. I have a lot of empathy. … I also know that I’m ultra-competitive, but I try to do it in such a way that’s healthy.”

Common values trumped professional conflict.

“There were frank discussions,” he said. “We never beat around the bush on a subject. Everything was honest and forthright. That’s what you respect about a person, when you know when they’re talking to you that they’re not feeding you a bunch of junk. …

“There’s a business side (to college sports) that everybody understands, and people have to make tough decisions. And when you do, if you make them in an honest fashion and respectful way, that’s the way it ought to be done.”

Richt and Georgia have prospered since. He landed at Miami, his alma mater, and his Hurricanes are 6-0 and ranked No. 8 by the AP. The Bulldogs hired alum Kirby Smart from Alabama, where he was Nick Saban’s defensive coordinator, and Georgia is 7-0 and ranked No. 3.

McGarity said Williams was “exceptional” in supervising football and handling the Richt-Smart transition.

“There’s no B.S. in her,” McGarity added. “She’s authentic. … She’s honest as the day is long. She’s always going to do the right thing, as tough as it may be, as tough as the decision is, she’s going to do the right thing for the institution. That’s all you can ask.”

“I’ve been involved with lots of hires and lots of separations,” Williams said, “and it’s difficult. When you care about people, and that’s the business we should be in, caring about people, there are times when things like that happen. … I couldn’t be more happy for Mark and the success he’s having at Miami, and I couldn’t be more happy for Kirby and the success he’s having at Georgia.”

Richt moved smoothly from a senior staff position — he was Florida State’s offensive coordinator — to Georgia’s head coach in 2001. He’s convinced Williams will do the same.

“She’s as ready as she could be,” Richt said. “Do you have the right ingredients? Do you have the right experiences, and do you have the right belief system that will guide you? … I think she has all those things.”

Teel can be reached by phone at 757-247-4636 or by email at dteel@dailypress.com. For more from Teel, read his blog at dailypress.com/teeltime and follow him at twitter.com/DavidTeelatDP.